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Pan-Asia Film Festival: Headshot (2011)

Have you ever stumbled into a film festival by accident? Well I did last week.

On a whim I decided to head to the ICA for Headshot, an intriguing sounding Thai noir involving a hit man who ends up with inverse vision. Turns out it was part of the Pan-Asia Film Festival, a mini festival of sorts, aiming at promoting awareness of a whole variety of Asian cultures.

The film itself was solid fare. A puply gang thriller that was aiming at a Takeshi Kitano or early Tarantino type feel, but with an incongruous diversion into a Wong Kar-wai style reflective voice over.

Headshot never quite reconciles its pulp desires, genre innovations (the upside down vision is sadly underdeveloped), and Buddhist ruminations, but some clever editing between character timelines and some spectacular bursts of violence ensure it is an enjoyable watch.